LAHORE: The Punjab caretaker government is contemplating transferring the Government Central Model School, Lahore to Daanish Schools and Centres of Excellence Authority to make the school a Centre of Excellence (COE), The News has learnt.
However, schoolteachers have opposed the idea observing that the historic school, presently operating under a Board of Governors (BoG) is already performing well and the government should avoid ‘experimentation’.
It is pertinent to mention here that in a meeting held at his office on April 11, the Caretaker Chief Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, had directed the transformation of the Govt Central Model School in Lahore into a pioneering institution ‘that offers a special student package.’ However, the official press release did not disclose that the school would be transferred to Daanish Schools and Centres of Excellence Authority for this purpose. A senior official at Daanish Schools, seeking anonymity, confirmed that a meeting about the transfer of the Central Model School to the authority was held in the recent past but no final decision was made so far.
Another official, however, further said that if the government really wanted to make the school a Centre of Excellence, Daanish Schools and Centres of Excellence Authority was the only possibility as it had the mandate for that and had already established 12 Centres of Excellence in the province. “If Central Model School is transferred to the Authority, it will be our 13 schools and first in Lahore,” the official added. The Govt Central Model School, located in Lower Mall, Lahore, is a historically significant institution in Punjab, known for its quality education and traditions. Its origins date back to 1883 when it was established as a Middle School, initially located in the building of Anarkali Girls High School. In 1887, the current building of the school was constructed, and it was upgraded to a High School and relocated to its present location in 1888.
As per the school’s website some of the prominent alumni of the school included late Naseem Hassan Shah, former CJP, late Malik Meraj Khalid, former Caretaker PM, Ch Shujaat Hussain, former PM, Ch Pervaiz Elahi, former CM of Punjab, Javaid Ahmad Qureshi, former Chief Secretary Punjab, Shukat Javed, former IG, Ramiz Raja, former chairman of the PCB while renowned journalist and anchorperson Hamid Mir is also among dozens of other prominent alumni of the school.
It is also pertinent to mention here that after the caretaker chief minister chaired the April 11 meeting it was officially shared that as part of the Centre of Excellence the school's syllabus would be modernised, the student selection process would be improved by conducting the test while uniforms, scholarships, and transportation facilities would also be provided to the students. The possibility of introducing A-Level and O-Level classes was also deliberated.
A teacher at the Central Model School, on the condition of anonymity, told The News that though no student from the school could achieve a position in the Board exams recently, the school was producing over 90 percent result in Matric exams. “Not achieving a position in the Board exams does not mean the school is performing low,” he added.
Punjab Teachers Union (PTU) also issued a press release on Tuesday observing that instead of making Central Model School a Centre of Excellence, the govt should establish new schools in Lahore as there was already a shortage of public schools in the provincial metropolis. The PTU central general secretary Rana Liaqat Ali observed that the Central Model School was already providing quality education to students against a very low fee structure under the supervision of highly qualified teachers working under the BoG.
Rana Liaqat said that instead of a new experiment, the govt should focus on other schools as educational institutions across Punjab were already suffering from a severe financial crisis. “There are no funds to pay utility bills while thousands of teacher posts are vacant,” he said.
The News could not reach Secretary School Education Department (SED) Punjab, Maqbool Ahmed Dhawla, despite repeated attempts on his cellphone. The officer did not even reply to a detailed message sent to him.